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Sunday, 16 February 2014

The best parts of Separation, a book I've read, are the ones that aren't about separation. I liked the stuff with the beautiful Palestinian terrorist a lot. (Decades before the White Widow, enemy of America, rapping jihadis and Kenyan malls.) And how about Great Britain's first lady prime minister, Marion Thrasher, three years before M. Thatcher in horrible real life? The Lady Hawk and the Hawk Lady -- not bad work in the ripped-from-tomorrow's-headlines department.

Although, as you've both pointed out, the fact that Rohmer's Iron Lady seems to represent the party that's for trade unions makes the whole thing sort of a muddle. And where are my maps and charts? This "707" you speak of, is that some kind of aircraft? If only I had a drawing to help me imagine such a thing.

The stuff about Canadian politics was pretty deadly. Like an endless car trip on the dullest parts of the 401, enlivened only by the driver occasionally drifting out of our lane into some really weird generalisations about French Canadians. (Who, when not acting in perfect lockstep like the Borg, won't stop accusing English-speaking Canadians of all being alike.)

And lines about pseudeau-Trudeau like:

"He was in power and through him the people of Quebec controlled Canada."

But the stuff with the casino and the terrorists and the sexy ultraviolence and everything was actually like a real thriller. What's next?

People Tell Things They Already Know

"French Canada, as you well know, is already in a minority position in Canada."

"You know you will be recognised instantly at any airport or by police any place you go, even here in Paris."

"I know you're tired, Prime Minister, and you may have forgotten exactly what it was you and Hobson agreed to. Let me read to you to refresh your memory..."

"There is no way to have an election in the next thirty days. The electoral laws, as we all know, do not permit this to happen."

"As you all know, Michael Lewis and I met with Premier Belisle in Montreal this morning."

"As you well know, France, our true mother country, is not participating in NATO."

'Then we'll have our meeting in the Privy Council Chamber which, as you know, is just around the corner from his office."

"As you may know, he's a lawyer and became a member of the National Assembly during the last election."

"As you know, any answer I give you will have to be confirmed by the Cabinet and by the caucus and ultimately by Parliament itself."

"As you know, our wealthy Arabs love to gamble..."

"I also bring you greetings and congratulations from my dear nephew, Prince Faisal, who last evening was confirmed as the new King of Saudi Arabia, succeeding his late cousin who, as you are aware, died tragically last Friday."

"Congratulations on your victory and on becoming the first woman Prime Minister of Great Britain!"